Police in Indonesia's Central Java province said on Friday they had arrested a man who claimed to be the “king of the world”, accusing him of defrauding hundreds of followers.

Toto Santoso claimed he has received a revelation from his ancestors in the ancient Mataram Kingdom to lead Keraton Agung Sejagat (the Great Kingdom of the World).

The man has so far attracted more than 450 followers, some of whom paid up to 110 million rupiah (US$8,000) after being promised positions in his kingdom and future monthly salaries in American dollars, Central Java police chief Rycko Dahniel said.

“He promised people that if they followed him they would be free from danger and their lives will be better,” Rycko said, adding that Toto also created fake United Nations documents and a YouTube channel to propagate his claims.

Toto and a female partner who acted as his queen were formally detained on Thursday on charges of fraud and spreading false news, Rycko said.

Local media reported that Toto once lived in a slum next to a railroad in Jakarta before the shanty town was razed by a fire in 2016.